Health Care for Me

Kazuko Davis

Access to Culturally Adequate Care

Before health care reform, my problem regarding health insurance or healthcare access is the language barrier. Since English is not my first language, it has been difficult for me to understand the American healthcare system. Thus, I have trouble navigating through it. There are also times where I am unable to describe my symptoms in English because I either do not know the English equivalent or there is no English word to describe a Japanese word.

Health care reform is important to me because I will be able to get information about insurance in plain language and in a linguistically appropriate manner. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there will be more health professionals who are bicultural and bilingual. There will also be training grants available to providers to improve their cultural competency.